Darley Sun can rise in Ebor for Godolphin
Rather like the menu in a Chinese restaurant, there are any number of tantalising options in the totesport Ebor Handicap at York and two that leap out are Overturn and Fortuni.
Overturn is that rarity of a horse whose progression through a season over hurdles as been matched when he has returned to the Flat. He never saw another horse when he won the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle in July, once he had shown sufficient tactical speed to make the switch from a wide draw to bag the rail before the first turn.
And he did much the same with a return to the jumping game to win the Galway Hurdle three weeks ago but there has to be a question over whether this might be one run too many for a horse who has not had an extended break for well over six months.
There is also the problem of whether Overturn will have the benefit of an uncontested lead as he had in the Northumberland Plate. Fortuni is another who has shown his best when allowed to dictate matters. He is a typical runner for Sir Mark Prescott, who has a 29% strike-rate with his handicappers this season, but that most meticulous of trainers has had his plans disrupted after the horse was found to be coughing following his win at Epsom in June.
In the event that both of them cut each other’s throat they could set the race up for a late closer. Martyr must have a chance with a 4lb penalty for his win at Glorious Goodwood but Darley Sun could be the forgotten horse of the race.
Darley Sun was acquired by Godolphin at the end of last season when he proved to be a most progressive staying three-year-old by winning the Cesarewitch by five lengths. That form was franked when the runner-up, Mamlook, won the Chester Cup and Darley Sun did little wrong on his seasonal debut when a good third in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown in May.
He ran no sort of race in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot but is the chosen ride of Frankie Detorri and the Saeed bin Suroor half of the Godolphin team is in exceptional form with 34% strike-rate since the beginning of the month.
Akmal beat Darley Sun in the Henry II - and is two form two at York - but his 3lb penalty for the Group-race win may just do for him in the other staying race on the card, the Group Two Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup, where the progressive King Of Wands showed just how much he had improved for the step up to two miles when he beat Illustrious Blue by three-quarters of a length in a Listed race at Sandown last month, with Opinion Poll and Samuel further behind.
Admittedly Illustrious Blue has a pull with the weights but King Of Wands could still be open to further improvement.
At the other end of the distance scale the Group Two Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes is the highlight juvenile race of the meeting. Temple Meads is unbeaten in two starts but he was favoured by conditions of the Super Sprint at Newbury and it might be worth giving another chance to Crown Prosecutor. The form of his first two wins stacks up well enough, he got no real run when trailing behind King Torus at Goodwood last month and the yard’s juveniles should their mettle when Waiter’s Dream won the Acomb Stakes on the first day of the meeting.
The card opens with the totesport.com Handicap where the consistent Chilly Filly can make it four wins from her last six starts.
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